You’ve dressed yourself, your fiancé, and your
bridal party. You’ve most likely also had input into what your parents wear.
One think you might have overlooked, however, is what will adorn your tables.
The tables? Yep!
Unless you are using glass or tables that are
fantastic in and of themselves, you most likely need to select linens to adorn
your reception. Selecting linens, however, is no simple or easy task, mainly
because of the variety of available colors, styles, and textures. Keeping all
your options straight is challenging, but mixing and matching linen colors and
textures can be downright mind-boggling.
A Few Linen Types
Shantung: this fabric is made of raw silk, has sheen
to it, and is similar to Dupioni silk. However, it has less slubs
(irregularities), making it smoother, and is slightly thinner, (although still
a medium-weight fabric) than Dupioni.
Rosette: this satin fabric is composed of ribbon
cuts in the shape of a spiral pattern, creating the look of rosettes.
Satin: this ultra-shiny fabric is smooth and
somewhat heavy.
Taffeta: heavy, smooth, and plain, this semi-shiny
fabric can be made of silk or rayon.
Brocade: this fabric is “embossed”, meaning
adorned with weaving in addition to the fabric’s main components. The embossing
is usually raised and the fabric rather stiff.
Damask: like brocade this fabric is embossed,
but the embossing is usually flat. It can be made of linen, cotton, rayon or
silk.
Lace: lace is lace is lace, albeit with
different patterns, heaviness, and textures. Lace usually looks best when
layered over other fabrics.
Some Fabric Styles and Patterns
Many fabrics come in different patterns, giving
you even more choices. Linens containing dot prints, ribbon embellishments, and
sequins are pretty self-explanatory, but other options include:
Pin-Tucked: small seams are sewn throughout the
fabric, usually in a square pattern. This type of adornment is often found on
taffeta and cotton fabrics.
Shimmer: these fabrics include a sparkle or
sheen that makes them shine in and sometimes reflect light. Shimmers range from
subtle, with only a little bit of light-catching addition, to heavy, containing
large wefts of fabric that catch the light.
Crinkle: a crinkle fabric contains non-uniform
“wrinkles” throughout the surface. These wrinkles are soft despite being
raised.
Basic Linen Sizes
Most linens come in multiple sizes (round,
square, rectangular etc.) to match basic table sizes. However, varying lengths
are also available, allowing for layering multiple linens with each being
visible.
Using Multiple Types of Linens
Is your head spinning yet? Well, it’s about to
start to spin faster, because you can use multiple types of linens in a single
room!
Consider this, you don’t have solely one type of
table in any given reception room – you’ve likely got ones of different sizes
or, at the very least, that serve different purposes. Mixing and matching
linens on tables makes the room more interesting, eye-catching, and serves the
purpose of allowing you to indicate that some tables are special.
For example, consider using pin-tucked linens on
your cake and gift tables, but use crinkle fabric linens on your dining tables.
Another option is to adorn half your dining tables with damask and the other
half with shantung. Rosette fabrics look great on escort card tables and match
well with taffetas on cake tables.
And don’t forget about your sweetheart table!
Nothing shouts “for the special couple” more than adorning a sweetheart table
with linens not found anywhere else in the room.
How to Mix and Match
When mixing and matching linens, we recommend
that you:
Not mix and match too many textures: tossing
together rosette, crinkle, and pin-tucked linens can make a room look too busy
and unconnected.
Stay within the same color scheme: the more
types and styles of fabrics you choose to display, the more difficult it
becomes to tie a room together. Sticking with colors that are similar or within
the same color scheme helps reduce this problem.
Starting with one: when choosing linens, pick
one that you like the most and place it in special areas around the room, such
as sweet heart or escort card tables. Next, identify those tables that do not
have linens and choose a fabric that compliments your first choice. Finally,
add a third fabric to complete the rest of the room.
Don’t forget the other linens you’ll need:
remember, you’ll still need to add other linens to your reception room, such as
napkins. Napkins and other linens also usually come in many different textures
and styles, allowing you to add in other linen types and styles without making
a room overly busy.
Your wedding planner is the best resource when
selecting linens. She’s more than familiar with and has memorized the different
types of linens, styles, and patterns, and can recommend what will look best
with your venue’s surroundings and the lighting you’ve chosen.
